What Keeps You Truly Engaged? 1 of 3

Any time that you begin to ask professionals questions in an attempt to get to the heart of something, quite often you discover, that – that is exactly where their answers lie.

Just last week, I labored over an email that I wanted to send out to a very select group of leaders whom I highly respect. There were questions on my mind that I believed needed true, uncompromised answers, that couldn’t simply be extracted by some anonymous survey and be presented by corporate leadership as the foundation for their non-intimate, generic actions. No, the answers to these questions called for a sense of clarity, and this group, I believed would have a great deal to share if I could only tap into it.

Their backgrounds were diverse, and their seasoned history and depth of experiences would undoubtably bring to light the insight and personal observations that has seemed to elude corporate leadership for some inexplicable reason. In the process, what astounded me probably more so than anything, was the fact that no two answers to the questions I posed were the same. Now… while many would look for the similarities in an “exercise” such as this in order to draw their conclusions, my interests lied in the anomalies, the variation of thoughtful response that would truly provide the substance and answers that I was after. In the end, as you will see… the value was immeasurable.

What I didn’t expect however, was not only the gratitude that was expressed for simply making them think and reflect, but their unselfish willingness to take the time out of their weekend to respond. Not with just a sentence or two, but in many cases, with two or three-page Word documents expressing their extremely personal point-of-view, their candid observations, stark judgements of inferior practices and calling out self-serving leadership. I can’t begin to tell you how extremely blessed and thankful I feel for each of their individual efforts.

As the responses began to flow in, one powerful overwhelming fact was undeniable. There is a genuine, underlying, resounding sentiment, that reveals itself when you are charged with responsibilities that attach themselves to the contributions of others, and the personal climb of your colleagues and peers that shows your hand in their personal fulfillment and development. Responsibilities that impact the welfare of their families, the cohesive unification of a unique bond that is reliant one upon the other, in order to reach a level of achievement that surpasses personal and team expectations, that ventures far beyond simply showing up for work doing your job and going home. It is more than just a position that they interviewed for a year or two ago – it is truly their LIFE’s Work.

Following are the questions and tone that I presented in my email to provide you with context for what is about to follow:

1.      What is it about companies that keep the best people truly engaged?

2.      What do you expect from yourself, leadership and your team?

3.      What is an absolute bare minimum to what is an ideal target?

4.      How much of this is in your control or do you cede control to?

“I am seeking the line of accountability/responsibility that keeps you highly energized in what you do every day and answers: What is important to you?

Here is what’s driving these questions. I believe we are at an interesting tipping point and hopefully we start to see what I have spent more than 10 years waiting for. The digital convergence has been slow to develop, and I believe we’ve seen a lot of stagnancy from companies if truth be told. Leaders afraid of technology and not knowing what to do with it optimally. The end result has been what I have felt is the equivalent of a car sitting in park gunning to 175 miles an hour and going nowhere fast. 5G will likely finally ignite technology solutions that break that hold and accelerate the economy, thereby making thought-leaders (Renegades) more valuable to their companies. The question will become, in the not too distant future, how do you retain great talent and, are you actually doing the right things to retain them? I am not interested in the standard pat answers of - promotion, compensation, benefits, good boss, ability to make impact, etc. Sorry, I have to say - yada, yada, yada. Those are givens and I do not believe they truly explain why we show up every day to do what we do. That is precisely what I would like to think through with you if you would be willing to go there with me.”

It’s exceedingly evident

So, what is the first thing that comes to mind when asked what companies actually do to keep their best people truly engaged? I for one was extremely curious to know what these global perspectives would reveal. As I reviewed each response, one thing became exceedingly evident, there was profound emotion and depth to these accomplished individuals. In short - it’s meaning, not money. It’s conviction, not motivation, it’s inspiration, not incentives, and it’s not so much impact as it is gratification and legacy.

It’s funny, when you dig deep down, the million-year-old influences of the human spirt remains. In this highly transitional age, we all possess a tendency to second guess ourselves and find it hard to believe that it can be as simple and as basic as the desire for personal and professional fulfillment, to which all of this speaks. For some reason, it has to be more complicated than that. That’s why companies hire research consultancies to help leadership understand the complexities of these finely tuned, highly intellectual, technological visionaries. What they look past, is the fact that they are all human beings with needs that supersede the structure in which they operate. But it doesn’t end there.

What these individuals also seek, is the ability and freedom to operate, create and fail, the opportunistic proposition to come back tomorrow and try again. That freedom is ultimately founded in the proven trust demonstrated by leadership. As Luis Eduardo Mendonca, CEO | Founder | Chief Transformation Officer, Latin America expressed… “What really is a deal breaker for a talent (Renegades) is the lack of freedom to create, to take risks, to propose a different normal, to change the status quo.” What companies fail to realize is that what is needed to keep their best people engaged, in a sense, is not tangible – it’s chemical.

What makes the difference?

Back in January? I wrote an article entitled “One Little Problem That Confronts You.” The piece addresses the need for a shift in thinking as it pertains to recruiting talent. It states… “The most glaring problem facing corporations today is the continuous need to focus on “skillsets” as the primary driver in the search process when it comes to identifying, interviewing and hiring talent. It is the starting and ending point for every search… and therein lies the problem.” It goes on to say… “in hindsight, you will find these actual skillsets to be the reasons as to why a candidate does not truly meet expectations.” But why? Think on the following for a moment, the article continues… “Mindsets you can connect with – skillsets you can’t. Connecting with the way we think and not with the learned tools at our disposal, is the key to not only collaboration and unity of thought, but monumental progress.” The task then shifts from… “Find me someone with these skillsets,” to… “Find me someone who thinks like THIS.” The reason is because at a certain point, the question about someone’s ability to do the job is a foregone conclusion. The true value lies in the intangibles of an individual, and they are more relevant today than they have ever been, and they’ll be even more relevant tomorrow.

I think it’s fair to note that not one person mentioned an incentive program, bonuses or any other physical motivating factor that is designed and packaged to keep them engaged. What they seek is collaboration, shared values, collective achievement, unification of thought and purpose, and sadly, something as simple as respect.

I found an intriguing example of this in a note made by Thomas Jensen, Executive Vice President, at Bechtle, it read… “First, most companies have highly acclaimed talent teams and HR departments that take pride in engagement scores, ability to attract millennial talent/diversity and where you end up on “the best company to work for” ranking. However, most of their methods and programs are standardized and a one-size-fits-all. Furthermore, there seem to be a tendency still to combine the carrot and stick approach towards talent: You did a fantastic job, but don’t think too highly of yourself.” Perhaps you should read this paragraph once again. Yeah, I shook my head too.

Teddy Roosevelt once said… “Human nature is the most important thing to understand if you’re a leader.” It sounds so simple, and yet, here we are.

Expectations defined

I guess it’s fair to say that we all set our own personal bar. A threshold for excellence that we identify with as the standard that defines us. We demand results from ourselves and hope to inspire others to accomplish great things by virtue of our leadership, and relish in the satisfaction of a job well done when everything falls into place. But humble consideration of others also weighs in for leaders like Robert Lovegrove, Vice President, Corporate Strategy at Milliken & Company. To Robert, it is equally important as to how that standard for himself is represented in the minds of his colleagues and those whom he respects. “What I’d like my team to say is that I truly connected with them - gave them opportunities to shine/upward exposure, taught them the power of “cascading appropriate success sound bites upward,” and developed them. A true partner in their success. Not just the leader of the team.”

In my view, thoughtful leadership such as this is hard to find in a mission-driven, results oriented world that we’ve all become accustomed to, because it speaks to the sincerity behind genuine leadership and reflects a personal conviction and dedication to an end result that reaches beyond the four walls where the day-to-day takes place.

Equally as powerful are those who take a position of clearly defined ownership, like Steve Glaiser, Founder and CTO at Jobsurv, Inc. “I am 100% accountable and responsible for the teamwork, mission success, positivity and growth of everyone with whom I interact, period. I know for a fact that I am 100% a key factor in the equation. We all know, when leaders forget they are the force multiplier, failure abounds.”

When leadership adapts this approach, it undoubtedly serves as a safety net for the entire team and organization as a whole, setting the tone for aggressive trial and error that will ultimately contribute to a company’s bottom line.

Read between the lines

Expectations placed on senior leadership can be an interesting game of perception depending on a variety of personal experiences. What was expressed to me, were very passionate views reflecting the distinct impression that senior leaders have undoubtedly left in the minds of those whose professional lives they’ve touched. Perhaps, if you sit on that side of the fence as a C-Level executive, you may be able to hear what talented leaders, such as these, actually want and expect, by taking a moment to read between the lines. I also have no doubt, that you will be able to hear loud and clear… precisely what they don’t.

Thomas Jensen, Executive Vice President, at Bechtle, "Many senior leadership teams are still leading on a quarterly basis to satisfy shareholders and Wall Street. They are deeply focused on meeting their own goals/ambitions and they do not share the victories with their top talent, but they are quick to share the blame. In reality, many of the senior leaders I have met in my career (and still do meet) have a cynical and narrow focus on 1) their own career progression, 2) their own key metrics (read: salary) and 3) their "brand" and personal gain over true care for their teams/organizations. Of course, you cannot stereotype amongst senior leaders and there are true light houses out there, but in my experience, for every true role model, there are 10 others that succeed by doing the opposite of what they preach. There is a reason for the old saying: Do as I say not what I do!"

While experiences with senior leadership varies, in some instances there are certain “preferences” that reside with those under their watch. In this case, while senior leadership’s value is recognized, a desire for confidence and trust in the abilities of those whom they’ve placed in charge is preferable over that of a hands-on approach. Which, in my opinion, is completely understandable.

Dharm Vahalia, Sr. Business Director, Engineering Plastics at Ascend Performance Materials.“Investment coupled with Empowerment... be interested, be ready to guide and help (bring SMEs, if required), but not manage actively. I want my leadership to trust me to come-up with the right solutions, offer guidance along way, be supportive when times are challenging, and push for more when things are more settled.”

I feel that Dharm’s position is very reflective of a quote that is often attributed to Steve Jobs submitted to me as part of a comment intended for this article series, however this contributor wished to remain anonymous… "We don't hire smart people so we can tell them what to do, we hire smart people so they can tell us what to do."

If you recall, I made mention in my email, referenced above, about how 5G will likely finally ignite technology solutions that will break the hold of those leaders who are afraid or reluctant to use it, and accelerate the economy, thereby making thought-leaders (Renegades) more valuable to their companies. I believe that the following statement shares that sentiment.

Rudy Augsburger, Managing Partner at Macasan Partners. "Leaders that were afraid of technology are being forced to discover it now, and many will come out of the crisis embracing it and some even boasting about it. So, I think this will be good news all-round. Many leaders are hoping, praying and developing plans on how to go-back-to-normal, without realizing, that ‘that normal' is gone forever. Sooner or later, I expect those leaders to fail miserably, with or without bail-out monies."

The burden of senior leadership, especially now, is extremely intense with everyone running around yelling “The sky is falling! The sky is falling!” and you’re the only one walking around handing out umbrellas. It’s far from an enviable position to say the least. However, the unspoken observations of those leaders under your care are extremely real; and that unrest, if it exists, can set the tone for everything from culture and execution, to bottom-line profits.

What I’m attempting to share here in the first of what will ultimately be three articles in this series, are on the frontline views that provide something of value for everyone to walk away with. Just keep in mind that none of the 25+ professionals that I reached out to had to take the time to do this. There’s nothing in it for them except that it is their true nature to lead by example, to be comfortable with being uncomfortable, by offering a raw perspective in hopes of change. Because if nothing changes, then nothing changes, and for some, perhaps you count yourself among them. That’s simply not acceptable.

I think this quote by Ronald Regan that connected with Douglas Kim, Chief Growth, Revenue and Customer Success Officer and Advisory Board Member at Cogito Corp, who shared it in a conversation with me earlier this week says it all… “There is no limit to the amount of good you can do if you don’t care who gets the credit.”

About Steve Diedrick...

Steve is the founder of Redmond, a global executive search firm whose clients include world renowned brands and start-ups that are shaping tomorrow's world. As a highly respected authority and pioneer in the field of human capital with close to three decades in the space, his progressive ideas on search-excellence reflect a profound understanding/passion for the global economy and the ever-evolving mindset of the unique talent that propels companies forward. He has personally reached out to more than 100,000 professionals and interviewed over 35,000 potential candidates throughout his career. His personal drive, perspective, discipline and focus is a culmination of his life experience living abroad and the 27 years spent mastering the Martial Art of Qi Gong. His Mantra: There is nothing like direct experience that takes you from knowledge - to knowing.

Email me at: [email protected] or Text me at: 947.222.9200 and let's discuss how Redmond can help you.

? Redmond Research, Inc. 2020